NNIP awards Network Steward of the Year to the Connecticut Data Collaborative team

For the first time, NNIP presented the 2024 Network Steward Award collectively to the staff members of CT Data Collaborative (CTData). As Executive Director, Michelle Riordan-Nold has encouraged her team to take full advantage of and contribute to the NNIP peer network. Soon after CTData was admitted, Michelle requested the NNIP-Urban team present to their whole staff to ensure they knew about the value of the network and the opportunities to participate.

All the staff are very generous in sharing lessons from their projects to help fellow partners. The staff contributed in multiple ways to the November 2023 NNIP Partners’ Meeting in Oakland just weeks after the organization was officially admitted as a partner. Kate Eikel presented their youth fellows program at a plenary and leding a camp session on structural framing of data, and Jason Cheung presented at an idea showcase on voter participation. In the Spring, Jason Cheung and Jill Walsh presented on the Connecticut Asian and Pacific Islander Ethnicities Map and Dashboard.

They are continuing their contributions to this year’s Detroit meeting, volunteering to be on the committee to review Data Driven Detroit’s tour plans and presenting on the North Hartford Ascend Resource Map for their local Promise Neighborhood.

CTData also supports organizations considering the NNIP model. Sarah Eisele-Dyrli connected with potential partner ACT Rochester as a buddy, even when Rochester’s director couldn’t come to the NNIP meeting in Oakland. Michelle has continued to talk to the Rochestor director regularly to provide mentorship and exchange ideas.

In addition to the peer learning sessions, CTData staff helped NNIP-Urban directly over the year and promoted the network. In response to a request with very short notice, Cindy Willner shared slides and background information on their early childhood project to include on a presentation to a group of stakeholders in Miami. In addition, Kate Eikel agreed to be a key informant for an evaluation of the Robert Wood Johson Foundation Data for Healthy communities grant portfolio to help represent the grant program and NNIP. They include mention of NNIP in news articles and provide great connections to other data-related networks like the Association of Public Data Users, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, and the Census State Data Centers.

NNIP is much stronger thanks to CTData and are happy we can recognize their contributions.